Bounty Hunter Wine & Spirits in Napa Valley has made it our business to track down the hottest wines the world has to offer and serve them via our catalog, our Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ in downtown Napa and on our website. Our blog provides a unique, insider's view into what we do every day...taste wine, visit our winemaker friends, tour wineries, attend events and of course, stop to enjoy the simple things in life...food, friends and wine.

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

Greetings from Napa

As of this writing, our hopes for spring rain
haven’t yet come to fruition. This summer is already shaping up to be another
dry one. We’re in our fourth year of drought here in California, but, chin up –
many of our favorite winegrowers are braving the storm (pardon the pun) quite
well. That’s why the smart ones have reservoirs.

Mark S. Pope at the Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ

The good news is that, unlike walnuts or
broccoli, grapevines can thrive with minimal water. Some would even argue that
the fruit is better that way. There’s a reason that growers champion “dry
farming.” Heck, it’s illegal to irrigate vineyards in most of Europe. When the
roots of a vine can literally crack rocks as they burrow underground, it’s
pretty clear they’re tough customers. Wine grapes are looking a bit more like a
water-conscious crop now, aren’t they?

We can’t believe it, but this year’s already half
gone. Here in Napa, we’ve been busy tending our own vineyard plots, babysitting
our barrels and spiffing up our Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ joint. We’ve even
started crafting our own Bounty Hunter barrel-aged cocktail. Word got out, and
the first release was so popular we sold out in three days! We went back to the
barrel and now we’re working on the next incarnation – it may very well be
available for sipping at our downtown location by the time you’re reading this.
We’ve come a long way, baby.

Speaking of coming a long way, the hills are
alive! The vines awoke from their slumber early this year, and while many of
the locals were worried over potential frost damage, the chill largely didn’t
materialize. Now the Valley is streaked with swaths of bright green vines laden
with tiny bunches of what will become this year’s harvest before we know it.

It may be one of the most photogenic times of
year around here, but you don’t have to take our word for it. Come on out and
enjoy the California sunshine, and don’t forget a visit to savor our
well-stocked cellar and tasty morsels at our downtown digs. You can say hello
to our new GM Don Wetherell and our Alabama “Q” specialist, Chef Nicky. Give
those boys a firm handshake and tell them we sent you. Until next time…